Saudi Arabia’s mining sector witnessed a series of important developments this week, reflecting the expanding scope of the Kingdom’s sector transformation. Key updates included regional cooperation, growing attention to the social performance of mining companies, continued support for exploration, and the launch of a regulatory discussion around marine mining. Globally, mining and mineral-tech funding also gained momentum, a trend that carries direct relevance to Saudi Arabia’s ambitions to build a more efficient, sustainable, and competitive mining sector.

Global Mining and Mineral-Tech Funding Surges Between March and June 2026

Mining and mineral-tech funding saw a clear rise between March and June 2026, signaling an important shift in how investors view resource security and mineral supply chains.

Investment is no longer limited to traditional mining assets. Capital is increasingly moving toward technologies that can accelerate exploration, reduce water and energy consumption, improve recovery rates, and strengthen supply chain resilience against geopolitical disruptions.

The areas currently attracting funding include AI-powered exploration, autonomous sensing technologies, advanced processing, ore recovery solutions, and mine-site automation.

For Saudi Arabia, this trend is particularly significant. As the Kingdom continues to expand its mining ambitions under Vision 2030, the global mining-tech market is producing tools that can support faster exploration, more efficient processing, stronger local value chains, and more resilient industrial growth.

The full breakdown of global mining and mineral-tech funding announcements from March to June 2026 is available here: Click here.

Saudi Arabia and Jordan Discuss Greater Integration in Mining and Minerals

His Excellency Bandar bin Ibrahim Alkhorayef, Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, held a virtual meeting with His Excellency Dr. Saleh Ali Al-Kharabsheh, Jordan’s Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, to discuss opportunities for strengthening cooperation between the two countries in the mining and minerals sector.

The meeting covered ways to exchange knowledge and technical expertise, enhance economic integration between the two Kingdoms, and support shared interests while contributing to the resilience of global mineral supply chains.

The Saudi side also reviewed the Kingdom’s experience in developing mineral industries, highlighting Wa’ad Al Shamal Mining City as a leading model for building an integrated industrial ecosystem around mineral resources.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Minister Alkhorayef invited his Jordanian counterpart to participate in the sixth edition of the Future Minerals Forum, scheduled to take place in Riyadh in January 2027.

The meeting reflects Saudi Arabia’s continued efforts to expand regional mining partnerships, not only from an investment perspective but also through knowledge exchange, technical capacity building, and the development of more integrated industrial ecosystems across the region.

AMAK Participates in Workshop on the Social Performance of Mining Companies

Al Masane Al Kobra Mining Company, AMAK, participated in a workshop organized by the Saudi Mining Services Company, ESNAD, in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, to review the results of the field survey on the social performance of mining companies.

The workshop focused on discussing social performance requirements, reviewing field assessment outcomes, and exploring opportunities to strengthen best practices across the sector.

AMAK stated that its participation reflects its commitment to advancing sustainable mining practices and improving its social performance in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, through continuous stakeholder engagement, community development, environmental stewardship, and responsible governance.

This development highlights the growing importance of the social license to operate within the Kingdom’s mining sector. Companies are no longer assessed solely on production and operational performance, but also on their social impact, environmental responsibility, and governance practices.

Application Stage Extended for Wave 3 of the Exploration Enablement Program

The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, in collaboration with the Ministry of Investment, announced the extension of the application submission stage for Wave 3 of the Exploration Enablement Program. The program is designed to accelerate exploration activities, reduce early-stage investment risk, and attract local and international investors to Saudi Arabia’s mining sector.

The program provides a targeted support package for exploration companies, including cash incentives on eligible expenditures such as drilling, laboratory testing, and geoscientific studies, in addition to salary cost support for employees residing in the Kingdom, subject to program requirements.

The initiative forms part of Saudi Arabia’s broader efforts to develop the mining sector under Vision 2030 and open the door for high-value investments that can help transform mineral potential into scalable development and production projects.

The Exploration Enablement Program represents one of the Kingdom’s key tools for reducing investor risk in the mining sector, particularly during the early exploration stages, which require significant funding and technical expertise before projects can move toward development and production decisions.

Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources Discusses the Future of Marine Mining in Saudi Arabia

The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources held a workshop on the future of marine mining in the Kingdom, discussing the development of a regulatory framework for the exploration and extraction of offshore mineral deposits in line with approved technical requirements and standards.

The workshop reviewed several proposals and recommendations related to the technical and legal mechanisms needed to support the governance and sustainability of the marine mining sector.

Discussions also focused on coordinating government efforts to develop a procedural framework for seabed mining, defining the complementary roles of entities whose activities are linked to marine areas, and reviewing international best practices in marine mining.

Opening the discussion around marine mining signals an expansion in how the Kingdom approaches its mineral resource base, moving beyond the development of land-based resources to explore new opportunities that may support mining’s role as the third pillar of Saudi industry.

Weekly Perspective

This week’s developments show that Saudi Arabia’s mining sector is moving across several tracks at the same time.

First, there is a clear focus on regional and international cooperation, reflected in the Saudi-Jordanian meeting and Jordan’s invitation to participate in the Future Minerals Forum 2027.

Second, sustainability and social performance are becoming increasingly important, as shown by the workshop on the social performance of mining companies with AMAK’s participation.

Third, the Kingdom continues to support the exploration stage through enablement programs that reduce investor risk and help accelerate the transition of projects from early studies to development.

Fourth, new regulatory areas are emerging, including marine mining, reflecting a broader ambition to explore diverse mineral sources and maximize the economic value of the Kingdom’s resources.

Fifth, these local developments intersect with a global wave of rising investment in mining and mineral technologies, a trend that could provide Saudi Arabia with important tools to accelerate exploration, improve operational efficiency, and build more resilient value chains.

Overall, this week reflects Saudi Arabia’s continued progress toward building an integrated mining sector that brings together investment, regulation, technology, sustainability, and international cooperation.

With the sixth edition of the Future Minerals Forum approaching in January 2027, the Kingdom appears well-positioned to strengthen its role as a regional and global platform for dialogue on the future of minerals, investment opportunities, mineral supply chains, and the technologies that will reshape the mining industry in the years ahead.